


Home

by Blackghost7



Category: NCIS
Genre: Getting Together, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-30
Updated: 2014-12-30
Packaged: 2018-03-04 10:06:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,925
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3063866
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blackghost7/pseuds/Blackghost7
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony realizes what it means to be home.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Home

“Go home, people!”  
   
Tony DiNozzo sat on his couch, the words echoing in his mind. He’d heard them a thousand times before over the thirteen years he had worked for the man, Gibbs’ gruff voice releasing them for the day or the week, but this time they were stuck in his mind, resonating to something within him. Theirs was a complicated relationship, Team Lead and Senior Field Agent, superior and subordinate, partners, friends, and there was this thing between them that had pulled them together from the very beginning, this attraction, this rapport, the way they could read each other and saw through each other in ways that no one else could. They had acted on it from time to time, getting together for a night or a weekend, a quick fuck or a slow comforting session, after losing a team member or colleague, after a hard case, when the need for contact became too great and something had to give. But it had been sparse and far between, only happening a couple of times a year, and it had been more about bonding and need than anything else. They never spoke about it, what it meant, and it never changed anything in the way they interacted with each other, at work or outside of it.  
   
But today, Tony had felt something shift as the words echoed in his thoughts, and he was trying to figure out what it was exactly that had changed. Looking back on their years together, they had overcome a lot of rough patches, hard times where there was a distance between them, but they had always been drawn back to each other. And Tony realized that the relationship he had with Gibbs was the longest, most important one he had ever had, more precious to him than anything else. Of all the people he had ever met and cared for, Gibbs was the one he loved the most, more than any of the women or the few men who had held his affection for a while. Because when compared to what Gibbs meant to him, his feelings for all his other partners had been merely that, affection and infatuation. It was only Gibbs that he truly loved. This was not a shock to him, he had known it for years, and he knew he held a special place in Gibbs’ heart as well. Of course, they had never spoken about that either.  
   
And now here he was, wondering what made those words so different today from the thousand times he had heard them before. Looking around his apartment, sparsely furnished and pristine, he realized what it was. Getting up and moving to the bedroom, Tony packed a bag with some clothes and shoes and toiletries, stuffed a couple of suits into a suit bag, then put some of his favorite movies and books, his laptop and other things in yet another bag. Checking the fridge, he saw it was nearly empty, and he took out the trash so everything was clean. Putting on his coat and picking up the bags, he looked around his apartment one more time before switching off the lights. It was empty. And that’s what it was.  
   
Arriving at Gibbs’ house, he wondered only for a moment how the older man would react, but he had the feeling Gibbs would understand. Putting aside the small worry he felt, he grabbed his things and made his way inside. Gibbs sat on his couch reading a book, glasses perched on his nose, fire roaring in the fireplace. He looked up as Tony entered the house, taking in the bags the younger man carried and studying him for a moment. After Tony had put down his things and hung up his coat, he went to the kitchen and got a couple of beers, bringing them over to the living room and handing one to Gibbs as he sat down beside the older man. Leaning back and taking a sip, he stared at the wall, feeling himself relax and the knot he had felt in his chest for months now loosen and then disappear.  
   
Gibbs sipped his beer and studied the younger man, wondering what was going on, but as always glad to have him at his side. Seeing the tension leave Tony’s body as he sat back and relaxed, Gibbs finally spoke.  
   
“Everything okay?”  
“Yeah. Can I stay for a while?”  
“You know you’re always welcome here, Tony.”  
“Thanks.”  
   
Still curious if he had missed something, after all, Tony usually only came over when something was bothering him, Gibbs asked to be certain.  
   
“Sure you’re okay?”  
“Yeah.”  
   
Taking another sip of his beer, he turned his face to Gibbs and looked at the older man before speaking again.  
   
“You told us to go home. So here I am. With you. Home.”  
   
Understanding what Tony was saying, Gibbs smiled and reached out his hand to stroke through Tony’s hair, which made the younger man close his eyes for a moment in pleasure, then leaned in to kiss him softly, a sign of affection.  
   
“Welcome home, Tony.”  
   
   
And it turned out to be that easy. It wasn’t settling for each other, it was simply the culmination of all their years together. Tony had only packed enough clothes and things for a couple of days, so when he started running out, he made a trip to his apartment and brought over more. The next weekend, Gibbs followed Tony to his apartment and they cleaned out the few things in the fridge and cupboards, filling up boxes with DVDs and books, packing up his wardrobe. Both cars filled to capacity, they moved Tony into Gibbs’ house permanently.  
   
That first night when Tony had come over, they had reconnected physically, it having been long months since their last frantic encounter. This night it was slow and gentle, and both men had felt the difference. It had been making love. Tony had sighed in contentment when afterwards, other than after their previous times together, Gibbs had held him close, and had held him all night long. Waking up in the older man’s arms made his heart flutter in his chest, and he expressed it with gentle kisses which Gibbs tenderly returned. Even on nights when they did not make love, exhausted from work, Gibbs always kept a hand on Tony’s chest or arm in his sleep, and the feeling comforted and warmed Tony, made him feel loved. When Gibbs spent long hours in the basement and Tony went up to bed without him, he always had some trouble getting to sleep and slept fitfully, but settled as soon as Gibbs slipped under the covers next to him and placed his hand on his lover. Gibbs noticed it with a smile, and his time in the basement became shorter and shorter, until finally they always went to bed together. Gibbs did not miss the long hours down in the basement as much as he thought he would, finding that pleasing his lover by simply being there relaxed his mind as much as the endless sanding or whittling had.  
   
In the following weeks, they were surprised to discover that there was still more to learn about the other, even after their long years spent together. Gibbs was stunned when Tony turned out to be a great cook who took pleasure in preparing delicious homemade meals for his lover. Having always opted for ordering in whenever they were together before, Gibbs had never once seen Tony cook or heard him talk about it. When Gibbs asked about it, Tony laughed and explained that it was no fun cooking for one, but that he had always made sure to eat healthily at home to set off the junk food and take out they ate at work. Feeling a little guilty when Tony cooked for him most nights, Tony brushed it off saying that it made him happy to do this little thing for Gibbs, and Gibbs made sure to always thank him for it with a kiss. Tony was surprised at the huge amounts of reading Gibbs did, and even more surprised that in between the serious military biographies and psychology texts, Gibbs liked reading a romance now and then. Tony was glad for it, because it meant that they could spend a lot of time together on the couch, fire crackling in the fireplace, Gibbs reading while Tony lay with his head in Gibbs lap, watching a movie quietly. Gibbs liked working in the yard, keeping the lawn and bushes fastidiously trimmed, the chore relaxing him almost as much as his woodwork. And when Gibbs started teaching Tony the basics of working with wood, they both discovered that Tony actually liked it and was good at it.  
   
Their team was not aware of the change in their relationship, and though they sometimes felt a little guilty about keeping something important from them, they didn’t want to risk the chance of the director finding out and splitting them up. They took extra care to keep things the same at work, but found it was easy to separate the work part and the private part of their lives, after all they had really been doing that for years already. No one had ever known about their occasional encounters in the past, or even how much time the men had actually spent together outside of work anyway. If anyone noticed anything, it was that Gibbs seemed a little more mellow and Tony a little more settled, but they simply attributed that to the age of either man. Of course they still had their disagreements now and then, but resolved them together, knowing each other well enough to know when to leave the other alone for a while to work through it and when to push.  
   
And then one day, Gibbs walked into the house after a long day at the office, having sent the team home earlier, and for some reason found himself taking a good look around. For the first time he consciously noted the changes in the house with Tony’s things mingling naturally with his, the little touches Tony had added - pictures of Shannon and Kelly now out on display in between pictures of Tony and Gibbs together, the projects they had worked on together adorning the living room, Tony’s natural clutter of sweatshirts and hoodies strewn all over the place since he never seemed to remember to put them away where they belonged, Tony’s piano over in the corner – and when he took a deep breath, he noticed the enticing smell of food bubbling on the stove. Walking into the kitchen and seeing his lover busy chopping and stirring, Tony moving his hips to the sound of the music coming from the iPod in its station, Gibbs smiled and stood watching for a while. And while the love had always been there, it was only then he realized fully what Tony had said to him a year and a half ago when he first came to stay.  
   
Stepping in behind his lover, Gibbs wrapped his arms around Tony’s waist and pressed a loving kiss to the sensitive spot on the side of his neck, then resting his chin on Tony’s shoulder and moving with him to the music. After a few minutes spent like that, Gibbs sighed in contentment and said the words that made Tony’s eyes sparkle brighter than ever before and a tender, loving smile spread over his face.  
   
“I love you, Tony. I’m home too.”  
   
 


End file.
